The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
High’s lows continue in capitulation at Stirling
NATIONAL LEAGUES: With one point from 35, Dundee remain in bottom spot
Whatever way you look at the situation in which Dundee High Rugby find themselves, the picture is a gloomy one.
Bottom of Tennent’s National 1, one point to their name from a potential 35, shipping just over 40 points per game and at the wrong end of another doing from a club side from last season’s Premiership.
This time it was Stirling handing out the cuffing, comfortably running out 38-17 winners at Bridghaugh.
Charlie Dineen, Andrew Orr, David Montgomery and Morgan Whitton with a brace of tries from Keir Singleton and four conversions from Jonny Hope did for Dundee who could only reply with a brace of tries from Callum Nicol and one from Finlay Jacobs and an Andrew Hamilton conversion.
It was far from troubling the home side and it is a sad fact that they cannot even look to next week’s visitors to Mayfield, Cartha/queens Park, as a banker since they ran Ayr close before going down 21-10.
Fifth spot in the National 2 table and a healthy plus 49 differential looks good for Kirkcaldy after their 45-23 win over Glasgow Accies but only after the second half unfolded as they held just a singlepoint 14-13 lead at half-time.
Last season’s double cup and Premiership medal winner Tommy Spinks got Accies on the board and Jacob Siems and Campbell Mccreadie ran in the other two tries with Gregor Mcewan converting one and slotting a couple of penalties.
That was it from the New Anniesland men though as Kirkcaldy romped away with seven tries from Marcus Salt, Alex Brooks, Rhys Bonner, Josh Laird, Chris Mann, Danny Jennings and Owen Bonner with Finlay Smith helping himself to five conversions.
At Duffus Park, they knew that there was a chance of Howe of Fife going second in the National 3 table if league leaders Greenock beat second-placed Ardrossan.
It went the other way at Memorial Field, however, with Ardrossan taking the spoils 31-23, leaving Howe in third spot still but now trailing Greenock only on points difference.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Howe though as Murrayfield Wanderers staged a feisty comeback from 31-7 down to 38-33 before Will Howley’s try restored a 10-point margin for Howe as the game ended 43-33.
James Barclay, Ian Aitken and Sean Murray had tries on the board for Howe before Alex Godsmark opened Wanderers’ account.
Barclay and Murray added one each before the break, Aitken nailed three conversions and with only a Michael Pomphrey try closing the first half for the visitors, Howe looked home and dry at 31-12.
Not so, because although Aitken converted Murray’s hat-trick try, Wanderers then slammed in 21 unanswered points with tries from Johnny Mcsorley, Mitch Chapman and Pomphrey with Calum Gauld converting.
Howley’s try closed out the game for Howe and 76 points on a dreich October afternoon may have been a splendid sight for a neutral but hardly did much for the nerves of the Howe faithful as they watched their lead alarmingly eroded.
Perthshire were unable to take advantage of a dip in the form of visitors Berwick and went down 32-20 at the North Inch to the side who topped the table in the opening weeks. Even a bonus of any sort eluded Shire as they ran in three tries from James Mair, Jonny Armitt and Adam Dearden with Armitt adding a conversion and a penalty.
Perthshire now occupy fourth from bottom spot in the table, one point ahead of West of Scotland and four behind Strathmore who now have a game in hand after their trip to Ayrshire was postponed after the Carrick pitch became waterlogged.